One of the hardest things to do is to find a suitable name for a pet. There are so many common Yorkie names to choose from, but they're not really unique. Fortunately, there are a number of tricks you can use to invent some of your own. Here are a few:

1. Name your Yorkie after a loved one who has passed away. As strange as this may seem, this strategy can help those who are trying to cope with the loss of a relative or close friend. Even using the name of a passed pet can help ease those painful moments. But if you're not comfortable with using the exact name of the deceased, use a variation of the name. You could for example, name your pet after your Aunt Rose by calling your Yorkie, "Rosie," or "Rosa."

2. Name your Yorkie with a word that describes its personality. Is your pet's personality bubbly? Try "Bubbles." Is she playful? How about "Pixie." Using a good thesaurus will help you find appropriate but fun synonyms that can make great Yorkie names.

3. Use a free online pet naming service. www.bowwow.com.au is a great web site that will generate appropriate choices for your Yorkie.

4. Does your Yorkie remind you of a famous person? A work of art? A song that you like? Use your pet's physical appearance to trigger creative thoughts and labels. Then use the labels to form a name. A Yorkie with a rich gold color could be named, "Caramel" for example. Or a Yorkie with a small white dot on her forehead could be named, "Nova" (after the PBS program).

5. Get help from others. Sometimes it's just too hard to name a pet all by yourself. Call in the family and start a brainstorming session. You'll surely get some creative suggestions from the younger set.

6. Go back to Yorkshire. Research some of the common female Yorkie names given to children in northern England prior to 1974 and see if you can't find a Yorkish-sounding label for your canine companion. Even a Scottish slat is appropriate.

Some example male Yorkie names from Scotland:
Alastair
Dallas
Davis
Douglas
Ian
Irvin, Irving
Kenneth
Lennox
Mac
Malcolm
Monroe
Murdock
Ross
Uilleam

Some example female Yorkie names from Scotland:

Aileen
Ailsa
Annabel
Bonni
Caroline
Chrissa, Chrissie
Christie
Cora
Eirica
Fiona
Grear
Grizela
Iona
Iseabal
Jaimee
Jamia
Jaymee
Jean
Kenzie
Kyla
Leslie
Logan
Lorna
Lyndsey
Mackenzie
Maggie
Nessa
Tara
Tira
Torey
Torra

7. Avoid names that sound like commands. "Kit" sound like "sit," "Bo" sounds like, "no", and "Shay" sounds like "stay." Although dogs have excellent hearing, your Yorkie may get confused when it's trying to learn its name along with new commands.

8. Choose a name that won't embarrass you in the event that you need to report him missing by name, and then publicize that name on posters.

9. Another source is through history. You can for example, name your Yorkie after a famous one. The first Yorkie to become an American Champion Yorkie is "Bradford Harry." "Bobby" became known after refusing to leave his mater's grave until he too, died. And "Huddersfield Ben" is said to have defined the Yorkie characteristic. Though he lived for a mere six years, Huddersfield's Yorkie-ness is what we see today in any bona fide Yorkshire Terrier.